FLORIDA: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

...in your garage.

Comments

[The Sardonicynic]

"Folks, I hope you understand how dangerous an (alligator) like this is when he is out of his element,"

They are probably pretty dangerous when they are IN their element, too.

[wolfie]

Is that a gater in your garage or are you just happy to see me?

[Bucket]

That's why, growing up, we never cleaned our garage.... 'course, we live in Ohio....

[CoastRaven]

Sardonicynic stole my thunder! Well done!

Ummmm I got nuttin else at dai point.

[daisymae]

Key Quote"...gators and snakes are on the move,"

Watch out at your local drive in theater. You never know where they'll be.

[Boom daisy's guy cat]

I'm glad I'm an indoor cat.

(stretchs)

[Sean]

"Bronzo has been working overtime trapping snakes at homes." Poor Bronzo needs some sleep, and he wont be working tonight. 'Cause it's bed time for Bronzo.

[KDF]

Residents who find alligators or snakes in or around their home were urged to call professionals.

I'm sorry, was this line really necessary? I sort of think any homeowner who attempts to handle an alligator problem on their own... well. Natural selection.

[The Sardonicynic]

Thanks, CoastRaven, next time may your thunder roar.

[MartiniShark]

Of course knowing real estate agents down here they will find a way to declare the wildlife as "extras" and raise home prices. "The Davidsons across the street paid $275,00, and they don't even have a python."

[Guin]

I am sure the Blog and bloglits will be purchasing tickets in advance to this movie.

[crossgirl]

Let The Wild Rumpus Start!

[Bumble]

Dave, have you ever found an alligator or a snake on your property? Surely that would have been a column-worthy story, but I don't recall one like that...

*pictures Dave wrestling a gator*

*snork*

[Aunt Nancy]

*rimshot* for Sean

Los Angeles knows how bad it is to be overrun by Gators.

[TCK]

KDF - if I ever find a gator wandering thru my yard, I will call a few freinds over, tap a keg, and have myself a gator hunt

professionals? we don't need no stinkin' professionals!

[TCK]

(um, I didn't just prove her point, did?)

[Peri]

Dave has written about the snake in his pool. I'll see if I can find it. In the meantime, let me just say that Dave was as brave about it as you would expect him to be.

[Peri]

Here it is. Florida journalism: It's a wild, wild life.

[Desert Rose]

Okay, well, that's reason #294 to _never_ move to Florida. I can't stand snakes, and I don't like alligators either. Or Basketball. *snork*

[Desert Rose]

*reads the link* *piercing shriek* I would have called animal control from my cell phone, and gotten a meat cleaver from the kitchen. Remind me not to eat barbeque at Dave's house.

[O. the U(manity)]

I'm a bit confused (moreso than usual, that is) by the cutline under the video ...

" ... Snakes encounter Skyrockets ..."

SNAKES GOT WINGS?!?!?!

[AFKA tsktsk]

Sleeping with barbeque tongs WBAGNFARB

[nannie]

Personally, I've recently encountered several hundred gators. "Course, I live in Indianapolis. Go Gators!!!

[Ramona]

What is an "alligator-snake"?

Why would it call for help?

[KDF]

Yes, TCK. Yes you did. ;)

[Eleanor]

Two words.

Global Warming.

pssst Peri, great column, thx for posting it.

[daisymae]

How about rats?

When my kids were really little (really little)I got up one morning at 5 a.m. (it was still dark) and heard our Australian shepard in the backyard growling & playing with something. As it got lighter, I could see him throwing something in the air. I figured it was a bird.

Then it got quiet, and when I looked in the backyard, I saw a small, still animal. I thought it was a possum. It looked dead from a distance. My husband was out of town, so I knew that I would have to get rid of it. I put on my heavy duty rubber gloves and grabbed a plastic bag & went out to dispose of it. As I got closer and took a good look, I saw it was a RAT! My skin started crawling, and I couldn't make myself go any closer than maybe 6 feet.

I went back inside. I called animal control to come get it. They weren't interested. I called the humane society. They weren't interested. Finally I called my brother-in-law in Georgia to help me figure out waht to do (like did he want to make a quick trip to Miami). As I was talking to him, I saw the rat start to move. I screamed, IT'S ALIVE...OMG, WHAT SHOULD I DO? He laughed and said to let it go, and that it was highly unlikely that that rat would be back again.

[Annie Where-but-here]

Creepy TRUE snake story- One day when I was a teenager in upstate NY, I was napping on a chaise lounge by our pool. I woke up to find no less than EIGHT small snakes under the tippy, plastic chaise lounge I was on! They had just hatched under the edge of our in-ground pool and were wiggling around in the shade of my chair. More snakes were pouring out from under the edge of the pool! After hearing a huge shriek, which turned out to be my own, I called for help. No one heard me. I tried to shoo the snakes away, but they hissed at me! One of them even coiled up like a cobra, puffing up like a poisonous snake! I heard another scream from somewhere deep inside my 'holy sh!t' stream of consciousness. Did I mention I was armed with only my bikini? Try THAT in a bathing suit, Harrison Ford! Stephen King, if you're reading this, well - hellooo - bikini'ed teenager and creepy, creepy snakes. Freud, if you're reading this, well, why don't you go play with Suze Orman or something?

Anyway, my brother finally heard my screams and came to my rescue. He put the little nightmares in a coffee can and we took them to the local snake farm (yes, really). The owner said they were clown snakes, known for faking being poisonous by puffing up and rising like cobras. Ha, ha. He was so happy to have them that he gave us a back-door tour of his 'farm.' I backed way up when he tried to show us the king cobra. Then I noticed the airholes in the large box on the shelf next to my head. "DANGER - TIMBER RATTLER" read the side of the box. That's about when I blacked out.

[Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa]

Annie-Snakes are like my WORST nightmare. I think I would have had heart failure right there.

*of course I guess in some culture somewhere it must be good luck to have eight little snakes under your chair* YIKES!

[Sue]

As I was coming downstairs in my suit today, ready for my first 2006 swim, my husband noticed a snake in our pool!! NOt a big one, mind you, but any snake is bad in my book!! Upon closer inspection, he determined it to be a WATER MOCCASIN! Help! How do we get rid of it? It swam into the skimmer and we're both too chicken to try the tongs thing! Anyone know who comes and gets these things out and what it might cost?